How Turning Off Your Porch Light Keeps Spiders Away

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Keeping the front porch light on at night can create a welcoming atmosphere. But unfortunately, this warm glow can invite more than just your neighbors to stop by. Burning the light all night is a recipe for unsightly spider webs, as it can cause your entryway to become a food source for the eight-legged creepy crawlies. There's a pretty simple cause and effect here: The lights attract all kinds of bugs, including midges, mayflies, may beetles, and moths, creating a veritable all-you-can-eat buffet for local arachnids. Once spiders catch wind of this potential feeding frenzy, they set up shop, spinning webs, which — unless you're aiming for an Adam's Family Mansion aesthetic — have to continually get cleaned away. 

If you experience this invasion of arachnids, you might feel compelled to reach for some bug spray. But even though nobody likes to be confronted by a giant spider web in the morning, you might want to give that a second thought. Spiders are an excellent source of natural pest management, preying on pesky insects like mosquitoes and flies. Plus, most native species are harmless. Unless you live in one of the states with lots of black widow spiders, your best course of action is to simply turn out the lights in the evening, making your porch less attractive to insects and their natural predators alike. 

It's a low-effort way to discourage insect and spider populations from gathering on your porch, and even saves a bit of money on your utilities bill. While this won't oust every spider from the premises, reducing unnecessary nighttime illumination will encourage your eight-legged visitors to develop their webs elsewhere.

As stated, turning off your porch light when you're not actively using it is a great first step for keeping spiders away. But this may not be ideal for every homeowner. Those expecting late guests, or frequently returning home late from work, for example, may find it difficult to avoid leaving the light on deep into the evening. But a few simple adjustments can help reduce the number of hours the light is on.

Motion-activated lights are a great way to illuminate your front porch only when strictly necessary. That way, you can reduce light pollution, but still see where to insert your keys without inviting spider bait all night. Yellow bulbs are also a good alternative to the standard bright whites, as they tend to attract fewer night-flying insects. These bulbs (like the Ecosmart Dimmable Bug Light) can be purchased at most hardware stores. 

If all else fails, and turning the lights out simply isn't an option for you, consider placing a light further away from your doorway. A few well-placed solar lights can likely get the job done, allowing you to shut off the overhead light and focus on illuminating your porch from a slight distance. With any luck, that should give you enough light to open your door in the evening, while drawing some bug attention away from your entryway. A cute DIY solar lantern could also be placed on an outdoor coffee table, or hung up in a far corner. With a bit of ingenuity and a little luck, you might be able to rid your doorway of spiders, while saving a buck or two on the electric bill.